Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Friday, 19 August 2011

BBC News

• Chief whip heckled at Bombardier conference in Derby Government chief whip Patrick McLoughlin was heckled by business leaders at a meeting to discuss the future of Derby train maker Bombardier.
• Rural railway lines enjoy boost in numbers Rural railway lines have seen a huge increase in popularity, according to figures published by the Association of Train Operating Companies.
• Shell claims progress on oil leakThe first part of an operation to stop a pipeline leaking oil into the North Sea is reported be successful so far.
• New firm to manage trams projectA new company, Turner and Townsend, is brought in to help the city council run the Edinburgh trams project.
• Palin backs upgrade of rail lineMichael Palin backs calls for the government to upgrade the Belfast to Londonderry railway line, which he has described as among the most beautiful in the world.
• Plane fault shuts airport runwayThe runway at London's City Airport closes for almost an hour after a problem with a landing plane.
• Ferrari says no to electric carsFerrari's chairman says the Italian supercar manufacturer will never make an electric car.
• Transport minister wants to reduce rail announcements [Audio Clip Radio 5 Live]The transport minister wants rail companies to cut back on some of the less useful train announcements.

Financial Times

• Air Berlin chief quits after revamp launchThe budget airline's chief executive, of 20 years, said that a change in leadership would help accelerate the restructuring

The Guardian

• Transport for London launches SMS information service London's transport authority says text messaging and enhanced voice recognition technology will help passengers with journey plans

The Herald

• ’Improve trains to boost business’ THE west of Scotland still lacks “vital” national and international transport links needed to bolster its economic recovery, a prominent business leader has claimed.
• SPT facing abolition in public-sector overhaul SCOTLAND’S largest transport authority faces the prospect of abolition under a review of public-sector agencies, The Herald has been told.

The Independent

• Minister spent £5,000 on furnitureThe Transport Secretary Philip Hammond spent nearly £5,000 of his department's money on recovering four sofas and a chair in his ministerial office, it was revealed yesterday.
• Shell under pressure to reveal details of oil leakShell has come under pressure from environmental campaigners to publish its most recent pipeline inspection report “ a week after one of its offshore rigs caused the UK's worst oil spill in more than a decade. RSPB Scotland called for the company to come clean after Shell admitted letting more than 200 tonnes escape into the North Sea.

Daily Record

• Edinburgh's £770million tram project to be taken over by private firm THE original estimated cost of the line from Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven was put at £545million – but cost over-runs and a contractual dispute pushed the project over budget.

The Mirror

• Transport Secretary who gave Bombardier rail contract to Germany spends £5,000 of taxpayers' cash on office sofasTRANSPORT Secretary Philip Hammond was branded out of touch yesterday after blowing £5,000 of taxpayers’ cash on office furniture.
• Tory chief whip heckled by business leaders as he tries to justify Bombardier job losses chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin was heckled yesterday as he tried to defend the deal that has cost 1,400 jobs at Derby-based train maker Bombardier.

Bolton News

• Petrol prices fall - but only by 1p WHOLESALE petrol prices have dropped by at least 3p a litre ” but garages have only lowered the price at the pumps by 1p, a new report has revealed.

Derby Telegraph

• Government Whip is asked to set up PM meeting THE Government's Chief Whip has been urged to use his position to arrange a meeting between a Derby delegation and Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss the future of Bombardier.
• Law firm faces £142m legal challenge over rail-deal advice A LAW firm that advised ministers on a controversial £1.4 billion train contract is facing a £142 million negligence claim over work it did on another rail project.

Edinburgh Evening News

• City brings in private firm to take over tram projectA PRIVATE company has been called in to take over the trams project amid fresh hope the money can be found to get the troubled scheme back on track, it can be revealed today.

London Evening Standard

• £4,878 bill to re-cover ministerial suite sofasTransport Secretary Philip Hammond has had four oatmeal-coloured sofas and an armchair re-covered at a cost of £4,878
• Taxpayers foot 'scandalous' bill for full-time TfL union activistsFull-time union activists working for Transport for London cost the taxpayer almost £1 million every year

The York Press

• Rail passengers face two days of disruption A STRIKE is set to disrupt passengers™ journeys on York trains to and from Scarborough, Malton, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool next week.

Yorkshire Post

• More cars but fewer commercial vehicles being produced in UKCar production accelerated ahead last month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has announced.

Carlisle News & Star

• Two hundred set to work on new Cumbrian road bridge site The first sod was cut yesterday where Workington™s new Northside Bridge will be built “ a move described as one of the biggest moments in west Cumbria™s recent history.

Other Regional Press

• Bus service could be gone by ChristmasA TRIAL bus service between Whitby, Sleights and Robin Hood’s Bay which was due to run until April could be off the road by Christmas.
• Commuters face rail fare increaseCOMMUTERS from Luton train stations could be hit with rail fare increases of up to eight per cent due to high inflation rates.
• We'll go it alone, says Coventry Airport boss THE government has blocked a bid to turn land around Coventry Airport into a recession-beating Enterprise Zone - but the airport's owner insists the project will still go ahead.
• Airport future 'in doubt without night flights'The future of Manston airport could be in doubt if it doesn't operate night flights, according to its boss.
• Alliance Rail submits revised plans for Huddersfield-London service: Would you use it? THE company bidding to run direct rail services from Huddersfield to London has unveiled more details about its plans.
• Huddersfield train services set for disruption after union talks hit the buffers TRAIN services through Huddersfield are set to be disrupted after rail workers voted to strike.
• Air link celebrated with vintage planeBosses of airline giant KLM have pledged to keep expanding services and frequencies to and from Glasgow Airport.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Calling all East Midlands bus users! 18 August: Ever wanted to put your concerns direct to the Minister for buses? Well here is your chance. With a FREE vintage bus journey to London thrown in! read more

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Decline in commercial vehicle production in JulyA fall over July 2011 of 5.9 per cent was seen in commercial vehicle output compared with the same month of last year.This is according to a report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which has released its latest figures for the automotive sector.During the period in question manufacturing of cars climbed by 1.3 per cent, while engine production remained relatively stable, falling by just 0.4 per cent year-on-year.Over the year to July, commercial vehicle production was 5.1 per cent lower than in 2010, while car output was up by 3.7 per cent and engine manufacturing was ...

Global Rail News

• Opening of the UK to European sized rail freight celebrated with locomotive namingThe opening of the UK to the operation of regular European sized freight trains on High Speed 1 was celebrated yesterday by the naming of a high ...
• Colin Flack to host RailStaff AwardsPresenting the prizes at this year™s RailStaff Awards is Colin Flack, chief executive of the Rail Alliance. The one time army colonel now heads one of ...
• Stobart Rail refurbishes Foxfield ViaductStobart Rail has gained valuable experience after completing a sensitive refurbishment of Foxfield Viaduct on the Carnforth – Whitehaven line. The railway crosses the Duddon Estuary ...
• Vital Rail wins Underground staff supply contractVital Rail has won a major contract with TfL-owned Tube Lines Limited for the provision of labour to support track maintenance and upgrade works. The contract ...
• Rowe Hankins co-founder Roger Rowe diesCelebrations at top rail supplier, Rowe Hankins, marking 25 years in business, have been tinged with sadness following the death of one of the founding partners, ...
• CrossCountry Trains donate to local children™s hospitalStaff at the head office of Birmingham-based CrossCountry Trains have donated nearly £1,300 to Birmingham Children™s Hospital. The donation goes towards the Hospital™s Heart Appeal and ...
• Second Spring for Mull RailThe Isle of Mull railway is to be crated up and exported to Balloch on the shores of Loch Lomond. It™s the ˜high road™ and ˜yon ...
• Tramlink to aid regeneration of Croydon with new tramsThe Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has confirmed that contracts have now been signed for the supply of six new trams for London Tramlink that will ...
• First TransPennine ˜can avoid strike action™, says RMTFirst TransPennine Express ’can avoid strikes by tabling a serious pay offer’ rather than a pay cut, and has ‘only itself to blame for industrial action’ scheduled to ...
• Rail staff warn London Underground passengers after man is decapitatedPolice and railway staff on the London Underground have warned passengers against walking from one carriage to another through the internal doors at the ends of ...
• University research aims to make rail travel more reliableThe costly disruption to rail travel caused by the breakdown of overhead power lines could become a thing of the past thanks to a new research ...
• Settled future for Settle & Carlisle lineThe 14th July may mark the anniversary of the French Revolution, however further north it marks the less traumatic revolution on the Settle and Carlisle railway. ...

Railnews

• TransPennine disruption looms as strikes go ahead Two strikes have been called on TransPennine Express for later this month, after pay talks broke down. The action will affect TPE passengers over the Bank Holiday weekend, which the company said is 'disappointing'.
• TfL cuts order for new Croydon trams Transport for London has named a German supplier as the builder of six new trams for Croydon, but the order is smaller than originally predicted. TfL had said it was ordering 'up to' 10 new vehicles to cope with growing demand.
• Thameslink contract protestors to target Westminster A special train is to carry protestors from Derby to London on 7 September for a mass lobby as MPs inquire into the Government’s decision to select Siemens as preferred bidder for 1,200 new Thameslink carriages against Bombardier Transportation. Another protest rally is planned on 14 September during the annual Trades Union Congress in London, and further demonstrations — organised by Derbyshire business leaders and politicians, Bombardier staff and trade unions — are expected at the Liberal Democrat and Conservative party conferences in the next two months.

Aviation Industry

• £50,000 up for grabs in Stansted Airport™s latest Charity ChallengeCommunity groups neighbouring Stansted Airport are again being given the chance to take a shot at winning £50,000 worth of funding...

Other News Sources

• First Transpennine can avoid action by tabling serious offer, says RMTFIRST TRANSPENNINE can avoid strikes by tabling a serious pay offer rather than a pay cut, and has only itself to blame for industrial action scheduled to take place on August 24 and 26 by some 400 RMT members, the union says today.
• China will press on with high-speed rail plans despite fatal crashChina's state Council, or Cabinet, has called a temporary halt to new rail projects in the aftermath of a fatal high-speed train collision on 23 July that has caused widespread public disquiet over the rapid pace of the country's railway expansion.
• Green group calls for Winchester residents to choose buses over cars BUSES can be as polluting as air travel unless services are used well, a Winchester green group has found.
• United Airlines' First Boeing 787 Dreamliner Begins AssemblyUnited Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL) announced that the first of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft enters the assembly phase at Boeing's facility in Everett, Wash., today. In early 2012,...
• QANTAS PASSENGERS GET TO PLACES ON TIMEQantas passengers arrived at their destinations on-time more often than passengers for any other domestic airline over the past 12 months. The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional...